“Don’t forget to swing hard, in case you hit the ball.” ~ Woodie Held
The Best Hitters Swing… & Strike-Out
I love baseball! Last night my children and grandchildren were here for dinner because my youngest son is in town from New York. After dinner the kids found an old metal T-ball bat and a tennis ball and started a ball-hitting game. No running the bases, just swinging away.
Every age had a chance. The kids started it, but I even got a hit (a really long hit I might add … not to brag or anything!). The pitcher, my 6’3″ tall grandson pitched me a big fluff ball it would have been hard to miss. I’m sure that had a lot to do with my success!
One thing about baseball players is that the good hitters swing with everything they’ve got. And the good ones strike out at least a third of the time. Here’s what Mickey Mantle said:
“During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at bats a season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball.”
Step Up To The Challenge
Since the beginning of time, people have consistently created challenges and positioned themselves on stages of power everywhere. They challenge themselves. They step up to the plate in all kinds of different ways.
And, consistently, more and more women are making their own personal mark on the world. Consider oppressed women the world over who are standing up to “the powers that be.” Look at Rosa Parks, Mother Theresa, and innumerable other women who quietly, boldly lived lives of passion and purpose.
Go For It!
Each one of us can do the same. We may not get the public acclaim or front page accolades, but we can each one of us step up and “hit the ball” that’s pitched to us. Whether we are studying something new at the Junior College in town or meeting the challenges of a new job or starting a business of our own, we need to be bold and brazenly willing to go for it.
So what if we strike out occasionally? Or strike out a lot? Persistence and determination eventually pay off. At the very least we will have an exciting, fulfilling life of powerful purpose. At the most…. who knows what wild, wonderful things we can accomplish?
“Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” ~ Deuteronomy 31:6,8 (NIV)
